Motor Cycle Kings – Chris Pennington

What do you do professionally?
I am the director of the east coast for Google Enterprise. I have a sales team that sells Google’s enterprise products to enterprise customers. My clients range from as far east as Boston and as far down to Miami. I spend my time flying out of LaGuardia.

How did you get interested in motorcycles?
I’ve been riding for 30 years. My father rode a motorcycle, and my mother rode a scooter. My grandfather rode only motorcycles, and when my grandmother got sick of rid- ing on the back, he bolted a sidecar to his motorcycle. It’s always been in my family. It’s a passion and a love.

What advice do you have for people interested in riding in New York City?
The obvious answer is always to assume someone is going to do something really silly. You have to ride defensively and drive very consciously. Because of this, I spend a lot of time getting out of the city—to go upstate to Bear Mountain or to Connecticut to get a change of scenery.

How do you describe your biker style?
It’s basically safety, but I have to admit, I’m a bit of a tart. I like to go for the Italian brands like Dainese. They’re a bit more stylish, but you have to make sure you’re getting the protection. If you can throw in some nice touches or afford the nicer brands, it just makes the experience a little more fun and luxurious.

What’s your favorite part about riding?
The great thing about motorcycles is getting to ride with a group of friends. It becomes very social. New York is a tough city, but the motorcycle fraternity is classless.